Dr. Desislava Lyubomirova Stoimcheva- Kolarska

Abstract

The overall objective of this study is to examine and analyze the impact of a relaxed and fun atmosphere on the second language learning. This is a mixed method research. It combines some parameters from qualitative and some from quantitative type of research. The children were divided into two groups: experimental and control group with 16 children each. The experimental group were taught through games and the control group through books and worksheets. After the experiment, the children from the two groups were diagnosed again with the same didactic assessment test and their results were registered and analysed. As for the qualitative data, observation was used and thus the data collection methods were observation and experiment. Additional data collection methods were didactic assessment test and statistic tests. The experiment was used a research method and all the data were statistically analysed. The preschool age is also concerned because it is an essential part of the educational process. Games and psychological factors like motivation, anxiety and self-esteem were discussed as the instruments of the affective filter that maintain fun and relaxed atmosphere in the teaching-learning process. A short theoretical and literary research was made first and then a psycho-pedagogical experiment was implemented. The results of the experiment, with two groups of children, were analysed and compared. One group had lessons through games and one group taught through books and worksheets and a comparison was made in the input and output results. According to the findings, the game playing environment is the basic component to keep a fun and relaxed learning atmosphere. Playing games leads to higher and fruitful educational and learning outcomes.

Paper Details